Cameroon Prime Minister and UN Women Regional Director officially launch the HeForShe campaign in Cameroon

^{UN Women Regional Director Presents a HeForShe present to the Prime Minster. Photo:UN Women Cameroon}

Yaoundé, August 11, 2016.  On behalf of H.E President Paul Biya of Cameroon, the Prime Minister and Head of Government, Philemon Yang has pledged his support for the HeForShe campaign, while calling on advocates to ensure that the campaign benefits all in Cameroon. 

The Prime Minister was speaking Thursday, August 11, 2016 in Yaounde- Cameroon as he officially launched the campaign heavily attended by close to twenty members of government, heads of UN agencies in Cameroon and the civil society organizations. Commenting, the Prime Minister said: “my wish is to see the HeForShe campaign benefit all the women, children, men and boys in Cameroon”.

In line with the Prime Minister’s statement, the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family- Marie Therese Obama Ondoa said the objectives of the HeForShe campaign are in perfect match with Cameroon’s policy and development priorities, adding that Cameroon has ratified without any reservations all the legal instruments in the area of gender equality. “The Head of State has just promulgated a new Penal code for Cameroon which integrates gender and punishes acts like female genital mutilation”, the Minister added.

Speaking earlier on, UN Women’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa Diana Ofwona lauded Cameroon for making giants steps for gender equality and women empowerment, demonstrated through an outstanding normative framework backed by an expressive political will. Diana Ofwona did not hesitate to recognize and appreciate the contribution of the Government to UNWOMEN core resources for the next three years.

 About the HeForShe campaign, the Regional Director said; “HeForShe is the movement for fathers who love their daughters and believe in their potential, Husbands who consider their wives as partners. HeForShe is for leaders who believe in the full potential of women and help them to fulfill it, CEOs for whom women workforce is a great asset for the profitability of the enterprises”.

Over 350 participants drawn from all walks of life attended the official launch out of which 151 officially made the commitment.